CONCLUSION

   Back when i was still testing earphones for Ultimate Ears i always knew that i could count on them to produce high quality models with performance levels that had nothing to be jealous from rival models in the market so when i heard that they also got in Bluetooth speakers i couldn't wait to start cooperating with them again. Well as you all know it took quite a bit of time for that to happen since the BOOM is not amongst the latest wireless speaker models to hit the market but even so after two full weeks of testing i can't say i was disappointed. The reason i say this is because the BOOM produced one of the highest volume levels I’ve ever encountered with a wireless portable speaker and ontop of that the clarity and bass levels where very impressive (although bass sometimes sounds weak but that has a lot to do with the type of music used). So if your primary goal is to find a wireless portable speaker with exceptional audio and build quality then you really can't go wrong with the BOOM by Ultimate Ears. On the other hand however the BOOM lacks several features we've seen with other speakers including support for aptX, media navigation buttons (previous/next/play/pause), USB charging port for other devices and last but not least a built-in MP3 player (via USB or microSD). Now i do realize that a built-in MP3 player is not something we see a lot with wireless portable speakers so it's not really something we expect to encounter whenever we receive such a product but it's without doubt a very convenient feature which i hope more manufacturers implement in their products. Now although we all think that Ultimate Ears could had done better in the features department still the BOOM has a few aces up its sleeve including 50ft/15m of wireless range with compatible Bluetooth devices (we did find this number to be more or less accurate), NFC support, 15 hours of playback time (although at almost maxed out volume we hardly passed 8 hours for its size that's really good), dual noise-cancelling microphones (work ok but nothing we haven't encountered in the past several times), waterproof coating (don't submerge it in water however) and the ability to combine another BOOM to create an even wider soundstage via the Ultimate Ears iOS/Android app.

   The only "serious" downside of the BOOM wireless speaker by Ultimate Ears is its price especially since it hasn't really changed since launch and still remains at USD199.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 174.68Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de - Price Depends On The Color Selection However). Of course much like other audiophile manufacturers like JBL, Klipsch and B&W we didn't really expect to see a low price tag attached to the BOOM but still we do feel that Ultimate Ears is asking a bit more for it than what they should based on both its performance and available features. That being said the BOOM wireless speaker does excel in one thing, playing music at very high volume levels with a style you don't see much in the market currently (the amount of available colors is overwhelming) and for that it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design / Available Colors
- Size/Weight
- Waterproof Coating
- Audio Clarity
- Volume Levels
- Battery Life (Up To 15 Hours)
- NFC Support
- 50ft/15m Wireless Range
- Ability To Pair Two BOOM Wireless Speakers

CONS

- No Media Controls
- No USB Charging Port
- Doesn't Support aptX
- Price (For Some)